Stantec appoints Stephen Willis as federal sector leader for Infrastructure in Canada

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has appointed Stephen Willis as its Infrastructure federal sector leader for Canada. Willis is a registered professional planner and a professional land economist with over three decades of experience in the federal infrastructure industry.

In his new role, Willis will collaborate across disciplines and sectors within the firm’s Infrastructure practice and will help to identify opportunities for the Government of Canada and federal crown corporations and agencies. He will assist in prepositioning Stantec for work and advise on strategies to win new business in conjunction with Stantec’s broader federal team in Canada. Additionally, he will proactively work to enhance awareness of the firm’s services within Canadian federal agencies. Willis will also play a key role in helping the company reach its short- and long-term growth initiatives within the federal infrastructure space in Canada.

“Throughout my career I’ve taken great pride in helping to deliver some of the most impactful infrastructure projects for the public sector,” stated Willis. “As Canada looks to strengthen its economy and improve lives and communities across the country through initiatives like the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, I welcome the opportunity to join Stantec’s federal infrastructure team in hopes of supporting the Canadian government in its efforts to address housing, invest in infrastructure, and enhance our security.”

Willis has over 30 years of professional experience in both consulting and public sector leadership roles involving community development, land use planning, economic development, urban revitalization, and brownfield redevelopment. He is known for building multiple agency consensus on complex projects and specializing in the planning and redevelopment of lands for public agencies. Previously, he held a senior position with the City of Ottawa and served as the executive director of Capital Planning for the National Capital Commission in Ottawa.  In his various roles, he has been involved in numerous major transportation and public building projects in the National Capital Region and in several major planning projects around Canada, including the repurposing of federal and municipal lands for housing.

Stantec sees substantial growth opportunity within the Canadian federal landscape, specifically within defense and security, federal building divestitures and workplace retrofits. These priorities are closely aligned with recent investments made by the Canadian government, which include a commitment of C$1.1 billion to transform its underutilized office buildings into housing and renewed investment into the modernization of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The firm has seen rapid growth of its Federal Program in the United States and key federal accounts, appointing a US Federal Infrastructure sector lead earlier this year. The establishment of an Infrastructure federal sector lead in Canada is another key step in fostering the growth of the firm’s federal business across North America and within the North American federal infrastructure landscape.

“As we look to bolster our Infrastructure services within the Canadian government and federal agencies, we recognized the potential to have Stephen step into a role to foster and support those efforts in Canada,” said Susan Walter, executive vice president of Stantec’s Infrastructure business. “Stephen is a proven leader, and his track record for delivering successful public sector projects speaks for itself. We look forward to the immediate impact he is going to make on our broader federal team in Canada.”

Learn more about Canadian Federal Infrastructure at Stantec.

About Stantec
Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world’s greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before.   

We are a global leader in sustainable architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting. ​

Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more. ​

Today’s communities transcend geographic borders. At Stantec, community means everyone with an interest in the work that we do—from our project teams and industry colleagues to our clients and the people our work impacts. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure.  ​

We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.​

Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN.

Media Contacts   

Michael Stevens
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: (509) 957-5262          
michael.stevens@stantec.com

Colin Nekolaichuk
Stantec Media Relations
Ph: (416) 542-6049
colin.nekolaichuk@stantec.com